Latch for rodent traps



March 13, 1945. D JQRGENSEN 2,371,447

LATCH FOR RODENT TRAP I Filed Nov. 30, 1943' Imventor 4M0 f/apa /mwg Gttorneg Patented Mar. 13, 1945 UNITED STATE s i PATENT 7 1 ---2,-3'z1,447 aa'roncroajnonnnm 'IZRIMES David Fl'lorgensen, Temnle.'Cift ;,CalH. Application Novemberi30, 1943, Serial No. 512,292

' I (mars-.8311

9 Claims.

The present invention relates totraps for barrowing rodents; such as gophersand moles, and is a continuation-in-part of theinvention disolosed'in my copending application, Serial No. 406,627, filed August I3, 1941, for Trapfor ground burrowing rodents, anal-upon which Patent No;

2,337,822 issued December 28, 1943.

*It 'isan object of the invention toprovide a trap having a'-simple;efiective, and safe latch means for holding the jaws of the trap-1nopen relation.

--A further object-of the-invention is to provide a trap having a-latch which effectively. holds the jaws open, but has'i-n' assooiation therewith releasing meansrequiringbut small --pressure by' the animal or 'rodentto releasethe latch to spring the trap:

A further obieet'of'the invention is to *provide a latch means 'for a. trap-which is not reaclily j arred. into: releasing position. In fact, the latch means holds-the jaws-open i'n-suoh a secure manner that in-man-y instances-the jaws of the set trap have been employed for the purpose-of reaming out the entrance toa gopher -hole,-with-- out releasingothe; latch.

,A furtherobjeetof :theninvention isto provide a trap having awfirst latch for holding :thetrap jaws open againstthe-'closlng force:ofi a heavy spring andxamsecond latclnfor controllmg the releasaof the'first 1atch, 1thi's second l'atch requir ing extremelyzsmall.pressure; bythe rodent or animal tov release: it. By: the. provision of this new latching meansafor the trap, I. have produced.

a trap especially. suitable for catching: of gophersv and moles whichveryxrarelyfails initsintended purpose, v

Further objects;.anctadvantagesof the invention will .be brought; outjnsthe following part. of thespecification.

Referring to the. drawing: which isior illustra.-.

tive purposes only;

Fig. 1 isga plan:view,adrawnatoslightlyreduced scale, of a preferred fnmmnfzamyzinvention in :set

position.

Fig. 2 is asection taken as indi'oated byithe;

line 2-4 of Fig.1.

Fig. 3 is aseetionalxviewitaken .omthe 1ine.R3--3 of Fig. 1, and showing the trapizinfspnungfposition.

Fig. 4. isa fragmentary elevational .viewashow ing the .hinge means .by- -which. the upper and lower Parts of. the trap are; connected; I

Fig. 5 .isafragmentary-section takenasindh cated bythe. line 5-5 at -Inthe preferred-embodiment .ottmyrmvention shown: in the drawing? proyideuan uppenimemw her 5. and ailowenmemher 6;:the forwandiportion; of the unpervmembemiifbrming ianarupper jam 1,; and the forwardvporti'on. 'ofi'theilower. member :6: f ormingua. :lower law 8. time :IGWIZWSJlYdi-iIJGEfiOHSiB? and.- lflhofvthenmembersi 51 and. fiuareisreferned' 'toj as handles, sinceewtheyzproilldeaa meansiby' which: force.- may be. manually; applied toraset: ;the;:;trap-= and? bycwhichz-theetrap may .ibeimoved 'orwcarried.

whileit: setsconditionzsmaatoazbringthe: op en; jaws-Joana l8. into: aidesiredepnsition i foviexamnle',

, bars m3 becomerthezsifiezhavs- 1:4; ofithes'lowenhanp:

cile*--..Hl;:;the; rear-ends aof'wlncmane .cjoine'ds byza. crossnbaniilS. g The-upperifiawfl nomprisessannosssbar-l fi anther fonwarebennkthereoiqzwithslegsior:sideabars-lfbextendinganeanwarnlystrum the :ends: thereof. In. Figs- 13 land. 2Izthe ba'rsxl 2" and. I16 are-showninyfiull :linesdmthenositiomthereoffmhen.the jaws.

1: and fiz arexopem Elines imFig. 31 2mm dotted linesal 6 .in.E-ig .:2,-the position of the upper:

cross bar 62 isrshown whenthejaws: 1- "and 8 are incloseenelation. il hernortions k850i: the -side bars- I ll bendadownward ateaisharp: angle and arethen curved rearward and upward;- thereby forming-- a reentrant or U-shapd iloend' which passes under a tabular-hinge member F9, *to "cooperate, with thistubular member" flin -formingthe hinge" means l l Ehe rearward eontinuations of the side bars :11 form the Aside fbars Z l -of the upper handle '9. 'From the ourved portibns 22 which" extend -under' thetubularmember l-9,"theforward portions 23 o'fithesid'e. oars-*2 I extend-upward and then benct rearward"; as indicatetlat 24. The;

rearward-parts 25 oi'thes'id'e bars-2 are curved" downwardiand the' end's thereof-are joi'ned by a cross ha- 16. Also; thef intermediate portions oi' the-side bars-"l l are eurved in-ward-towaro each other as showndn -Fig; "1 so"that themppenham die is giveng reater slenderness than the gl'ower' handle-i l. I

"11minsbeen 'clesoriherl howtheportions "l8" and:

23 of the side bars of the upper member 5 extend downwardly and under the tubular member I9 at 22, thereby permitting the upper member 5 to swing relatively to the tubular member l9, from the position thereof shown in full lines in Fig. 2

A to the position thereof shown in dotted lines 5.

jaws I and 8 from open to close relation, such spring means being coiled around the tubular member i9, as shown, and having extending ends 32 and 33 to respectively engage the side bars 2| and I4 of the upper and I0. 2.

A latch 34 is swingably secured to the cross member at the rear end of the handle I 0 and is arranged to engage the cross bar 26 at the rear end of the upper handle 9. This latch 34 comprises a short metal tubularsection 35 having openings 36 on the opposite sides thereof to receive the cross bar 45 and having a pair of upwardly extending levers or forks 31 which support a transverse pin 38. The rear portion of the tubularmember 35 is. notched so as to provide a shoulder .39 which will engagethe cross bar 25. Releasingmovement of the latch member 34 is controlled by a second latch which in turn is controlled by a'trigger or barrier-4i adapted to be engaged by the rodent which enters the space between the jaws l2 and I6, Fig. 2, as indicated by the arrow 42. i

. The second latch 40 comprises a shoulder 43, on the rightward end of a link 44 which is pivoted on the pin 38 and is arranged for longitudinal movement in the trap device. As shown in Fig. 2, the shoulder 43 engages an abutment 45 formed in the center of the cross bar 19, when the trap is 'set. The engagement of theshoulder 43'with the abutment 45 prevents rightward movement of the link 44 and the link in turn prevents clockwise rotation of the latch 34. sothat the bar 26 at the rearward end of the handle 9 remains in engagement with the latching shoulder 39. The latch means 40 includes means. for disengagingthe shoulder 43 from the abutment 45. This consists of.:.a.lever member 46 which isuconnected by meansof a pivot 41 to the front end (rightward end) of the link 44.- The lever member 46 consists of a sheet of relatively thin steel bent so as to provide a narrow top portion 49.and apair of downwardly extending side portions 50, each of which are cut away so as to form downwardly projecting front andrear legs 51 and 52 extending respectively across the front and rear faces ofthe central portion of the hinge bar i9.

'Ifhe trigger 4| includes a rectangular wire frame 53 supported by a curved bar 54, the leftward end of which bar 54, as indicated at 55, connects the lower ends of the downwardly extending legs 5| and 52 of the member 46 so as to provide a closed loopwhich surrounds the central portionof the hinge bar! 9, this loop limiting the movement of the rightward end of the link 44 and preventing movementof the rightward end of the link .44 out of working engagement with the central-portion of the hinge bar I9.

The downwardly projecting side plates are outv so that they will have downwardly faced edge portions 55 which rest upon the upperface of the hinge bar 19, as shown in Fig. 2, whenthe trap is set, and the shoulder 4 3 near therightward end and lower handles 9 of the link 44 is in engagement with the abutment 45. Considering that the lever member 48 swingsupon the pin 41, it will be noted that the arm 54 which projects forwardly or l'ightwardly from the lever member 46 is quite long as compared to the distance of the upper face of the cross bar or hinge bar is from the pivot pin 41. Therefore, when a rodent moves in the direction indicated by the arrow 42 in Fig. 2 and engages the rightward portion of the trigger 4 i, the pressure which he may exert against the trigger 4| is greatly multiplied in applying a downward force through the edges 56 of the member 46 against -the upper face of the hinge bar l9, with the result that the pivot pin 41 is moved upward with a pressure which is a multiple of the force exerted by the rodent entering th trap, and the rightward end of the link 44 is thereby easily lifted so as to disengage the shoulder 43 from the abutment 45 so that the link 44 may move right ward and permit or control the rightward swinging movement of the upper portion of the latch 34 from the position in which it is shown in Fig. 2 to the position in which it is shown in Fig. 3,

the shoulder 39 of the latch 34 thereby being.

moved out of engagement with the cross bar 26 of the handle 9. The release of the latch 34 in the manner thus described permits the spring means 33 to rotate the upper member 5 of the trap so as to carry the upper jaw I downward into engagement with the neck of the rodent, or toward the position in which the jaw I. is shown in Fig. 3.

The setting of the trap is accomplished merely by moving the handles 9 and ill thereof toward each other. The lower portion 60 of the latch member 34 is so formed that when the trap is placed upon a flat surface-for example, upon the ground-with the latch 34 and its associated parts in the position shown in Fig. 3, the downward force exerted on the latch 34 through the cross bar l5 will cause an anticlockwise rotation of the latch into the position in which it isshown in Fig. 2, thereby moving the link 44 leftward so that the shoulder 43 will move from the posi tion in which it is shown in Fig. 3 and will drop into the position in which it isshown in Fig. 2 adjacent the abutment 45. Then, if the handle Sis moved downward from the dotted line position 9' thereof,- Fig. 2, the. cross bar 26. at the end of the handle 9 will snap over the leftward portion of the latch 34 into engagement with the shoulder 39, owing to the spring characteristics of the material from which the handle 9 is made. Also, should the handle 9 be moved manually toward the handle Ill while the first and second latch parts are in the positions thereof shown in Fig. 3,"the bar 26 at the end of thehandle 9 will engage an upwardly faced shoulder 62 provided on the leftward portion .of the latch 34, and the latch 34 will be thereby rotated in counterclockwise direction so as tomove the latch parts from the positions ill-Which they are shown'in Fig. 3 to their positions of Fig. 2, thereby bringing the shoulder 43 into engagement with the abutment 45 and bringing the shoulder 39 "of the latch 34 into position above the bar- 26.: I claim as my invention: I 1. In a trap for animals of the character of gophers and moles, the combination of: an upper member and a lower memberin coextensive relation, each of said members comprising an elongated Wire loop having at the front end thereof a cross barand side bars extending rear- .wardly from said cross bar, so as to form a 'U- from said abutment so that said link may have latch releasing movement. I

7. In a trap of the character described; the combination of: a first member having transverse hinge means intermediate its front andrear ends; a second member swingable on said hinge means so that a portion thereof will cooperate with the front end of said first member to grip a rodent; spring means to swing said second member so that said portion thereof will move toward said front end of said first member; latch means operative between the rear end of said first member and said second member when said second member is moved against the force of said spring; a link extending lengthwise of said trap and having the rear end thereof in operative relation to said latch means and having movement for controlling the release of said latch means, there being a shoulder at the forward end of said link; an abutment for engaging said shoulder of said link for preventing a movement of said link which will result in the release of said latch means; a lever pivotally connected to the forward portion of .said link for movement to disengage said shoulder of said link from said abutment; and a movable barrier member connected to the lever in such position that it may bemoved by a'rodent and accomplish swingingof said lever so as to disengage said shoulder from said abutment.

l 8. In a trap of the character described, the combination of: a first member having transverse hinge means intermediate its front and rear ends; a second member swingable on said hinge means so that a portion thereof will cooperatesecond member is moved against the force of said u spring; a link extending lengthwise of said trap and having the rear end thereof in operative relation to said latch means and having movement for controlling the release of said latch 45' position.

means, there being a shoulder at the forward end of said link; a transverse bar forming an abutment for engaging said shoulder of said link for preventing a movement of said link which will result in the release of said latch means; a loop member pivotally connected to the front end of said link member, surrounding said bar so as to limit movement of said link member, a portion of said loop member comprising a cam for moving the for-ward end of said link member so as to disengage said shoulder from aid abutment in response to a movement of said loop member; and a part on said loop member movable by a rodent in said trap to so move said loop mem- I .hinge means so that a portion thereof will cooperate with the front end of said first member to grip a rodent; spring means to swing said second member so that said portion thereof will move toward said front end of said first member; latch means operative between the rear end of said first member and said second member when said second member is moved against the force of said spring; a link extending lengthwise of said trap and having the rear end thereof in operative relation to said latch means and having movement for controlling the release of said latch means, there being a shoulder at the forward end of said link; an abutment for engaging said shoulder of said link for preventing 'a movement of said link which will result in the release of said latch means; 'means including a trigger engageable by the rodent and operative to disengage sald'shoulderof said link from saidabutment so that said link may have latch releasing movement; and means for moving said latch means and said secbnd latch into latched DAVID F. JORGENSEN. 

